Zak Penn ’90 and Alex Kurtzman ’95 reboot classics

Zak Penn '90 and Alex Kurtzman '95 have both been tasked with turning beloved stories into cinema. Alex Kurtzman, a producer and writer, will partner with Chris Morgan to lead Universal Studios' revival of classic monster films.

The studio is embarking on a project to reboot its library of classic monster movies, with writer-producers Alex Kurtzman (of the "Star Trek" and "Amazing Spider-Man" franchises) and Chris Morgan (of the "Fast and Furious" series) spearheading the effort.

The new franchise will aim to breathe new life into such iconic characters as Frankenstein's monster, Dracula, the Wolf Man, the Creature From the Black Lagoon, the Invisible Man, the Bride of Frankenstein and the Mummy. It will unite them in a shared mythology, similar to what Marvel and Disney have done with the blockbuster Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Kurtzman and Morgan will first tackle a reboot of "The Mummy," which is slated for release April 22, 2016.

Writer and director Zak Penn is working on a film adaptation of the bestselling sci-fi novel Ready Player One for Warner Bros.

Four years after winning a bidding war for Ernie Cline's acclaimed sci-fi novel “Ready Player One,” Warner Bros. has hired comic book movie scribe Zak Penn to rewrite the script.

“Ready Player One” is a futuristic tale that follows teenager Wade Watts, who likes to escape the real world by logging into Oasis, a globally-networked virtual utopia where users lead idyllic alternate lives. When the game's eccentric billionaire creator dies, he offers up his fortune as the prize in an elaborate treasure hunt. Wade is pitted against powerful corporate foes and ruthless competitors who'll do anything, in the Oasis and the real world, to reach the treasure first and win control of the Oasis.

Penn, who has story credits on “The Avengers” and “X2,” previously wrote “The Incredible Hulk,” “X-Men: Last Stand” and “Elektra.” He also wrote, produced and directed the poker comedy “The Grand,” and most recently worked on the “Pacific Rim 2” script with Guillermo del Toro.